Girls school shoes for Secondary - the Holy Grail!

[MedusaBadHairDay]

Am looking for inspiration for September for girls shoes suitable for walking 1 mile each way, but also look good, are comfy.....and will last!!
Have read some threads from previous years, but would be good to have some up to date info

What do the school allow and what are her friends getting?

School are fairly strict, no trainers or brand labels etc. Haven’t asked her friends as she mainly hangs out with the boys in her year group and most of the girls are still Mary Jane style or ballet pumps - neither of which would be suitable.

DD has these www.clarks.co.uk/c/Jules-Walk/p/26134683
and lots of the girls seem to wear a similar style (actually DD bonded with a girl in her tutor group on her first day in Y7 because they had the same shoes!)

Dr Marten's Favilla style have served my DD very well. Comfortable, durable and with a coveted brand (among DD and her mates at any rate).

My sister (now in yr 10) has worn Dr Marten lace up shoes since starting secondary.
They've always been ok with the school's strict uniform policy, they are comfy (so long as she wears them around the house for first week to break in) and although on the pricey side they do last her each time until she outgrows them, so don't need replacing multiple times throughout the school year.

I would agree that lots of girls seem to have things similar to those linked by RedSky
DD still has 'Mary Jane' style with Velcro as she can't do laces well enough (motor skills). We use Startrite and they seem well made and durable.

Dd has had doc martens, v expensive (£100) but worth it. Maybe not lf your dd's feet are still growing tho

It's all about Kickers here! They seem very very popular and durable.

Yes, I was going to say Kickers. In many of the local girls secondaries, they seem to be 'THE' shoe of choice for all most pupils.

DD just finishing Year 9 and still excellent friends with the 4 other girls who started Year 7 in DMs like her!

Are there any independent shoe shops near you that stock Ricosta or Petasil? You can also get on Amazon or online depending on size.

AveABanana we’ve used the local independent shoe shop and had Ricosta shoes for her throughout primary. Unfortunately they seem to aim mainly for the younger end so need to branch out a bit I think. Am liking the dm’s and kickers styles

Dd is in yr 10 and has had kickers all the way through secondary school. One pair lasts the year although they are tatty by the end! All her friends have the same.

Docs and kickers ate really durable and comfy once worn in, cool too for that age group.

Satellite's Angry Angels lace ups are chunky and have a DM type sole - my 14 year old has the patent version and they have lasted well all year and look good too.

Startrite, not satellite

My dd (year 8) has these:

www.clarks.co.uk/c/Agnes-Meg-BL/p/26126602

They’ve been great and have lasted far better then the Clarks lace ups.

It’s all about the kickers here too. Dd in year 9 has them and dd who starts year 7 has asked for them too. It seems like every high school girl I see wears them now.

My almost 14 year old has these ones, they’ve lasted her a year so far and are still in great condition so she can wear them next year too as they still fit.

www.kickers.co.uk/girls-c282/kick-t-bar-classic-teen-p5171

Thanks everyone, Kitty they look pretty good from Clarks too - I stopped bothering with Clarks for her early on in primary as they seemed to be more focused on looking pretty rather than being practical, definitely not designed for a child to run and play in.
I know they don’t “play” in high school like they do at primary, but she will certainly be on the move a lot more with a heavier bag, so support and comfort are a must.

Does anyone know if Kickers are okay for girls narrow of foot? DD is a 'D' fitting. We've always ruled out Kickers, assuming they'd be way too loose for her?

We used Ricosta as well - black lace brogues that last far longer than Clark's. The options our shoe shop had were definitely aimed at secondary rather than the younger end so might be the range they stock.

Dd started secondary in Start Rite Mary Janes as they were the only show that fitted her size 1.5 G foot

Once she reached size 3 she switched to Angry Angels or Geox brogues with a chunky sole. DM’s didn’t fit properly. She’s just thrown her last pair away after her last GCSE.

My local independent is definitely more primary than secondary orientated - my daughter is now a size 6, so very little choice now there for her

I would have opted for kickers or Doc Martins but they aren't fashionable around here so dd has the lace up Clarke which have lasted, I have reheeled once but uppers in very good nick still